Eric Church did not attend the University of North Carolina. He went to App State.
You would not know he is a Mountaineer, outside of a brief appearance at The Rock 10 years ago.
The country music singer once again ignored his alma mater during a commencement speech in Chapel Hill. His speech was full of stolen valor at a school from which he does not hold a single degree.
Eric Church is a UNC fan.
Kenneth Eric Church was born May 3, 1977 in Granite Falls, North Carolina. Granite Falls is a small town of approximately 5,000 residents in the western half of the state. His dad was the president of a local furniture upholstery company. He attended South Caldwell High School in Hudson, North Carolina.
As a result of his upbringing in the Tar Heel State, Church is a Tar Heel fan. And a diehard one at that.
The man they call ‘Chief’ actually canceled one of his concerts in San Antonio to watch UNC play Duke in the Final Four in 2022. He performed an exclusive benefit concert for North Carolina’s NIL fund in 2023.
You will often find him sitting courtside at the Dean Smith Center or on the sideline at Kenan Memorial Stadium, decked out in a very specific shade of blue. Never does he miss a game in Charlotte.
North Carolina is a large part of his identity. That includes UNC.
“Early on in my career, I traveled a lot. Even though I was tired, every night at 3 or 4 a.m. I would stay up to watch Carolina basketball just to feel closer to home. To this day, I carry North Carolina with me wherever I am. North Carolina — it’s home, right?”
The Tar Heels have always been his team.
“I’m a born, bred, dead guy. I can’t really remember a time when my identity wasn’t being a North Carolina fan. I didn’t know a lot about myself at 7 or 8, but I knew I was a Tar Heel. That’s the way I was raised. My dad would even introduce us as Tar Heels. I knew I wasn’t Wolfpack, and I wasn’t a Blue Devil. I was a Tar Heel. My entire life has been built around being a Tar Heel.”
Church delivered the commencement speech at the University of North Carolina over the weekend.
It was a good speech! He told UNC grades that, at Carolina, they will always have a place they belong.
“Come back, walk through the Quad on a fall day or sit on Franklin Street on a game day, and remember: These are my people, because you are a Tar Heel. Carry this community with you as you plant your roots.”
However, Eric Church is not one of them. The 49-year-old is not a Tar Heel himself.
Eric Church graduated from App State.
I am not here to judge sports fandom. Only to point out the facts. This is a lot like when a graduate of Troy roots for the Crimson Tide. Or when a Cincinnati alumnus roots for the Buckeyes.
Eric Church graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in marketing from the Walker College of Business. His eldest son is named Boone after the college town. At no point did Church take a single class at UNC. Not even one.
The country music star did return to App State in 2016 when the Mountaineers played a rare non-conference game against the Miami Hurricanes but that was pretty much it. Unlike proud (almost) alumnus Luke Combs, he does not associate with App State. Only North Carolina.
Combs played a stadium show at The Rock. Church has only played shows at UNC.
Combs received an honorary degree from App State.
Church, who actually graduated from the university, gave the commencement speech from North Carolina and acted like he is a Tar Heel… even though, technically speaking, he isn’t. It’s super lame.